10 Bizarre Ways Directors Tricked Audiences
4. Oliver Reed Didn't Film His Final Scene - Gladiator
Oliver Reed was one of the greatest British actors of his generation. His overtly macho and domineering presence on camera made him obscenely watchable in any role. But one of his greatest performances was also his last. Part way through the production of Ridley Scott's epic Gladiator (2000), Reed died. Throughout his career he'd been known as something of a hell raiser, and after taking part in a drinking competition with a bunch Royal Navy sailers - five of whom he beat in an army wrestling contest - Reed suffered a heart attack.
Rather than recasting the character, Scott made the decision to use a combination of body doubles, and a three-dimensional CGI mask of Reed's face, to complete his movie. Proximo's final scenes were mostly rewritten to utilise previously recorded but unused lines of dialogue from rehearsals.
The final results are almost unnoticeable in the movie. Considering this was done at a time when this kind of technology was still in its infancy, it's one impressive achievement.